To buy or not to buy: hardback vs. paperback
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I think it's worth it to get the hardback, because there are two problems with the paperback. First, the hardback illustrations are missing in the paperback, and they do change the way I see Ender's parents - Theresa is an entertainingly annoyed and angular grad student, and John Paul's insouciant arrogance and manga-like good looks make a fun contrast. The other thing about the paperback is that unless I'm much mistaken, it's actually missing text - in story 1 someone is supposed to hit someone else, and it never happens in the paperback version (at least the one that came to Singapore). The text doesn't show any blank paper, but the rest of the plot does refer back to it just like in the hardback version, so I think it's a glaring printers' error.
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Good stories, but nothing new
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I normally don't read short stories, but I liked the Ender series so much, the I thought I would make an exception for this collection. I enjoyed all the stories, but I didn't feel like I was reading anything all that new. Card did a good job in the original books of giving you an idea of the history of everything, so these stories just seemed to give me more detail about the specifics. I really enjoyed reading the original Ender's Game story again, it makes me want to re-read the book. All four of the stories were good, so if you are a fan of the Ender series, I would recommend this book, but don't expect anything exceptional.
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Good backstory.
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I would not call these three new works novellas, but simply longish short stories; they are very quick reads. The most memorable, I think, is "The Polish Boy". Concerning duels between a 5-year-old and various administrative figures, it recalls some of the best of "Ender's Shadow": the illustration of how a very young child can, with sufficient wit and preternatural maturity, overcome adult opposition. "Teacher's Pest" is the least of the three. It concerns cleverness used in the furtherance of adolescent romance. While this might be as excitingly done as the first story, it would have to be on a higher level of wittiness to succeed as well. But it doesn't reach that level, and it seems a bit pedestrian. "Investment Counsellor" is set in Ender's "quiet" stage--after he's overcome the trauma of "Ender's Game" and before he's set out upon his Speaker of the Dead life. The fireworks of his passion are missing here--neither his command skills nor his personal interaction livelihood are generating the sparks that provide much of the interest in the books. It's a connector piece, showing some origins of things to come. These are good things, and it's good to have their origins, but it's not very exciting story-telling. The illustrations do nothing for the book but take up page-space, adding 10 or 12 pages to the total. Without them, the book would be under 200 pages in length--and better, in my estimation. (When are illustrators going to stop putting airplane wings, rudders, and elevators on spacecraft??) Having the original "Ender's Game" included is rather interesting, allowing for comparison with the novel it spawned. Bean is there, in all his arrogance, but essentially none of the other characters that have made the continuing saga so memorable: no Valentine, no Peter, none of Ender's other sub-commanders, nor his tormentors. The Hive Queen has not yet been imagined, and Buggers are entirely faceless. But all the pathos of the child used as a soldier--that essential kernel is there in boldface.
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It gets NO BETTER than this!
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This novel is listed as "Young Adult" but so outstanding that any adult who has ever heard of the author Orson Scott Card, or of the famous characters "Bean" and "Ender" MUST get this book! This has four novellas. One is totally brand-new to the Ender collection and one is the original novella "Ender's Game" which appeared in 1977. No matter how tempted you become, do NOT begin this book with "Ender's Game". These four stories work together. They are set in the order that they supposedly happened. So begin reading at the beginning, where you should! As a bonus, the book is fully illustrated throughout. "The Polish Boy" © 2002 by Orson Scott Card first appeared in First Meetings: Three Stories From The Enderverse. "Teacher's Pest" © 2003 by Orson Scott Card. This is the first appearance! "Ender's Game" © 1977 by Orson Scott Card. First appeared in Analog magazine. "Investment Counselor" © 2000 by Orson Scott Card. First appeared in Far Horizons, edited by Robert Silverberg. ***** Do I recommend it? Oh, yes! Orson Scott Card pleases his adult fans and makes some new young fans at the same time. Very clever. But what did you expect from a Sci-Fi Master? ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
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Short Skibbets that Let You Connect the Dots
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I was excited to see that Card had come out with a supplement to the Ender Series. I got home and quickly read the book from end to end. The first two stories were very intriguing, a prequel to the first book, Ender's Game. This sort of gave the reader insight on everything that you asked yourself while reading the beginning chapters of Ender's Game -- why are his parents this way, what's their story, etc. The third story gave an aftermath. It's been months since I've read the other books so I can't pinpoint when the story would fit in. I think it's right after Ender's Game, and Ender arrives at the first planet. Initially, I thought it would have been better had it told a short novel's worth of everything that led up to the way the world was (the Hegemony, how the International Fleet came to be in command really, and all the political affairs on Earth in the meantime) AND also on Andrew Wiggins' parents. But, this way is good so that it leaves the mind to piece together on your own and fill in the missing blanks.
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